Pakistan: 58 Die in Border Checkpoint Clash

[High_Gravity]

Same shit, different day in Pakistan.

Pakistan: 58 Die in Border Checkpoint Clash

(PESHAWAR, Pakistan) — A daylong clash between militants from Afghanistan who crossed the border and attacked a Pakistani checkpoint left 23 troops and 35 insurgents dead, police said Thursday, underscoring the challenges facing Pakistan as it tries to stamp out insurgents in its northwest.

The fighting came as a top Pakistani general said the military plans to stage an operation against militants in a tribal region that juts deep inside Afghanistan, but denied media reports of an upcoming offensive in North Waziristan, the tribal area where the U.S. has been pushing for action.


Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan has for years been a stomping ground for Islamist extremists, some of whom focus on attacks against Western forces across the border, and others who prefer to attack the Pakistani state because of its ties to the United States.

Pakistan has taken action against the latter groups but they've retained the ability to strike back, partly because the border is so porous and insurgents under attack can easily cross from side to side.

The clash that began Wednesday and wound down Thursday occurred in Shaltalo town in Upper Dir district. Upper Dir lies just outside the tribal belt, but it too has witnessed al-Qaeda and Taliban militant activity and been the focus of military offensives.

Police said some 200 militants crossed over into Pakistan from Afghanistan, and went after a checkpoint manned by police and paramilitary troops. At least 23 Pakistani security troops died and three were wounded, while 35 militants were killed, police official Johar Khan said.

The situation was under control as of noon Thursday, and funerals were being arranged for the dead security forces, he said.

On Wednesday, army Lt. Gen. Asif Yasin Malik, who oversees military operations in the tribal areas and other parts of the northwest, said the Kurram tribal area would be the next target of an offensive after local leaders there requested it.

Malik said operations would be launched there with the government's backing, but declined to give any more operational details.

Kurram has seen sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims for years, but is also home to militants with other aims. According to some accounts, the Haqqani network, a faction of the Afghan Taliban, was shifting fighters there from North Waziristan tribal region.

Pakistan: 58 Die in Border Checkpoint Clash - TIME

 

[waltky]

Son Of Haqqani Network Founder Killed In Airstrike...

Afghanistan intelligence agency says sources confirm death of Haqqani militant
August 26, 2012 – Afghanistan's intelligence agency said Sunday its operatives have confirmed that the son of the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant network was killed in an airstrike in Pakistan, even as the Taliban vowed that he was alive and well.

Shafiquallh Tahriri, the spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security, said Badruddin Haqqani was killed last week. He did not provide any further details, and would not say what information the agency's operatives were basing their conclusion on. Tahiri's account is similar to one provided Saturday by a senior Taliban leader who said Haqqani was killed in a drone strike. It also hews closely to a version provided by Pakistani officials who said they were 90 percent sure the militant commander was killed Tuesday in a missile attack in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region.

Haqqani's death would mark a major blow to the organization founded by his father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, which is viewed by the U.S. as a powerful enemy in Afghanistan. The son is considered the network's day-to-day operations commander. The Haqqani network has been blamed for a series of high-profile attacks and kidnappings in Afghanistan, and the U.S. considers it one of the most powerful militant groups operating in the country. The Taliban, who are closely allied with the Haqqani network, have rejected all reports of Haqqani's death.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said Haqqani is alive and in good health in Afghanistan. "A number of media have reported that Badruddin Haqqani has been killed. We would like to inform all media that this rumor is not correct," Mujahid said in the email to reporters late Saturday. "Badruddin Haqqani is in the country and is occupied with his operational responsibilities. He is alive and healthy. The rumor about him being killed is more propaganda of the enemy," he said. In a telephone call with The Associated Press on Sunday Mujahid continued to maintain that Haqqani was alive.

The U.S. does not comment publicly on its drone program, which is widely reviled by the Pakistani public and has been a source of tension with Islamabad. The areas where the American drone strikes generally occur are extremely remote and dangerous, making it difficult for reporters or others to verify a particular person's death. Badruddin is considered a vital part of the Haqqani structure and is believed to have played an active role in kidnappings, extortion and high-profile operations in Afghanistan. Tahiri said that Haqqani's responsibilities included arranging foreign suicide bombings, maintaining relations with other insurgent groups, recruiting Pakistani Taliban fighters to the Haqqani group and overseeing operations in southeastern Afghanistan and in Kabul.

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[johngray123]

Bad to hear this kind of news.

 

[waltky]

Haqqani chief of suicide operations designated as terrorist...

U.S. targets militant group's chief of suicide operations
November 5th, 2012 - The chief of suicide operations for a Pakistan-based terror organization has been officially listed as a "terrorist" by the United States, coinciding with a similar action by the United Nations on Monday.

Qari Zakir, chief of suicide operations for the Haqqani Network, was labeled a specially designated global terrorist under the authority of an executive order, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced in a written statement. The designation blocks Zakir from all of his property that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits any U.S. nationals from engaging in any transactions on behalf, or for the benefit, of Zakir.

In addition to the designation by the United States, Zakir and the Haqqani Network were listed by the United Nations sanctions committee in actions that require all U.N. member states to implement a freeze of assets, a travel ban and an arms embargo against both entities. The United States designated the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization in September. While the leadership of the group is based in northwestern Pakistan, the group is responsible for a series of deadly attacks in Afghanistan.

In addition to his role as the head of suicide operations for the Haqqani network, Zakir, also known as Abdul Rauf, is the operational commander for the group in the Afghan provinces of Kabul, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan. In the announcement, the State Department said Zakir had a hand in many high-profile attacks carried out by his organization, including the September 2011 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Sixteen Afghans, including six children, were killed in that attack.

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[adeel_sami]

But still, it's the everyday-story down here. I don't know what stopping USA to send troops in Pakistan, I say Pakistan's administration providing cover to terrorist groups (every ******* terrorist is hiding in here).